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Topic: Movable christmas feast? (Read 1358 times)

So this is the first year that my partner is making the 3 hour trip on Christmas to see my dad's extended family. We're announcing our engagement, and by next Christmas will be married. :D:D:D:D:D. I always go to them but once I'm married, I intend to either stop or go to alternating years. Since I moved out of home, I have traveled a lot on Christmas, (hour drive west to have breakfast with my parents, another hour west to have lunch with my maternal Grandparents and then back to my parents before making the 3 hour trip to my paternal grandmothers house to get there before holiday traffic gets too bad.

The problem is that my extended family has Christmas dinner with a different side of the family on Christmas Day and they spend the 26th with us. But to beat the traffic and avoid arriving in the dark (Australia, so will be long days with summer so we're talking arriving around 7ish), we get there at dinner time to an empty house and they don't get back until nine. So we normally stop for an early fast food dinner on the way.

This year, I'd like to make Christmas dinner and bring it with me. (Everyone in the family is fine with this) There will be seven of us. Given the amount of travel on Christmas Day, I can't cook anything the day of and Christmas eve is a bit full as well. I don't do much baking, but I'm a capable cook in other regards. I can put food in my parents fridge and will bring a good esky with me. Anything that's not eaten for dinner, I'd like to take to the picnic on the 26th. I can't make anything with nuts due to a severe allergy. I will have an oven, stove microwave etc when we get there but I want to have anything that's time consuming cooked seeing as how when we arrive people will basically be ready to eat.

Marinated grilled vegetables (squashes, eggplants, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers), you can either put them on a platter or in a bowl. Marinate in olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper.

Cheese and cracker tray, you can always add sliced apple or pear and grapes.

i would add some kind of carb thing - maybe instant couscous if you have that or make a couscous salad, or some kind of pasta/sauce/bake (like lasagna or baked ziti)

and you don't mention dessert but how about an assortment of cookies/biscotti/brownies/blondies - these all freeze well and you can set them up on saran wrapped trays ahead of time and pop them in the freezer.